Steven Tyler to Take a Permanent Vacation?

Possibly taking cues from the group's album titles, will veteran rock band Aerosmith continue to Rock in a Hard Place? Or will its fans be force to Just Push Play?

According to rumors – and guitarist Joe Perry himself – it looks like people are going to have to get used to listening to songs like "Dude Looks Like a Lady" without the distinctive warbling of frontman Steven Tyler, who may or may not have left the band.

"Steven quit as far as I can tell. I don't know any more than you do about it," Perry told the Las Vegas Sun. "I don’t know for how long, indefinitely or whatever. Other than that, I don't know."

The rumors were prompted by a recent statement by Tyler, 61, in Classic Rock magazine in which he said his next project was unclear, "but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler, working on the brand of myself – Brand Tyler."

"Hasn't called me in months. A bit cold," Perry, 59, wrote on Twitter. "What about fans? The people that also love him and put him where he is. After 40 years? ... Last time I phoned him he hung up on me."

Strained Relations

Relations between Tyler and other band members have reportedly been strained ever since Aerosmith was forced to cancel the rest of its tour in August after the singer hurt himself falling off a stage in Abu Dhabi.

"Obviously, he hasn't been giving 100 percent for a long time," Perry said. "Frankly, the last few months I've been wanting not to rock the boat. I don't want him cancelling any more gigs. We really wanted to do these last four. We didn't want to call him out or get him pissed off, for whatever reason. So we just let things lie."

And the problems go beyond simply business, Perry said. "I still care for him as a person, or at least the person I used to know," he said. "But things change."

And life for Aerosmith without Tyler will go on, he concluded.

"We'll probably find somebody else, and then we'll be able to move Aerosmith up a notch."